Hunter's Moon 2024 supermoon puts on a frighteningly good show for skywatchers around the world (Photos)

The largest and brightest full moon of 2024 lit up Earth's skies on Thursday (October 17), and sky watchers around the world were on hand to capture the moon's face in its full glory.

This hunter's “supermoon” may have been over a week early for Halloween, but that didn't stop it from spreading some seriously spooky vibes.

But don't worry if Halloween isn't your favorite theme. The following lunar images show the Moon in many of its aspects during the Supermoon event.

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Supermoons occur because the moon's orbit is not a perfect circle around the Earth, but rather an oval or ellipse. This means that our lunar companion is sometimes closer to Earth and reaches its closest point to us in what is known as perigee. In other cases it is further away, during the so-called peak. When the moon is near perigee during a full moon, it is called a supermoon.

On Thursday, as the full moon rose, the moon reached its closest point to Earth, just 221,938 miles (357,174 km) away. There have been two supermoons so far in 2024, in August and September, and there will be another in November, but October's Hunter supermoon will be the biggest and brightest of 2024. That's because this is the closest event to a full moon.

In the following image, the Hunter's Supermoon can be seen through the branches of a tree in Gaiberg near Heidelberg in southwest Germany by Daniel Roland.

Related: Supermoon Blue Moon 2024: Top photos from around the world

A glowing silver ball surrounded by dark branches

Pictured are branches of a tree in front of a so-called supermoon in the night sky over Gaiberg near Heidelberg in southwest Germany on October 17, 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images/DANIEL ROLAND/AFP)

The Hunter's Supermoon was suitably impressive and kaiju-like, as seen in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and photographed by Mert Alper Dervis. Look closely and you'll see a helicopter flying over the bright yellow face of the moon, highlighting its monstrous appearance.

An orange sphere over gold and silver buildings against a dark blue background

A helicopter flies in front of the full moon in Toronto, Ontario on October 17, 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images/Alper Dervis/Anadolu)

The following image, taken over Manhattan by Selcuk Acar, shows the yellow and bright Hunter Moon setting next to New York's iconic Chrysler Building, barely visible in the dark sky.

An orange ball next to a dark, barely lit tower

Hunter's full moon in October 2024 next to New York's Chrysler Building. (Image credit: Getty Images/Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)

Also taken in New York, this image of the supermoon, taken by Gary Hershorn, shows it in truly commanding style, framed behind the Edge NYC outdoor observation deck at Hudson Yards.

An orange sphere partially obscured by a dark triangle formed by a protrusion

The October Hunter supermoon next to the EdgeNYC outdoor observation deck at Hudson Yards. (Image credit: Getty Images/Gary Hershorn)

Photographer Joshua Mellin shared an image of the supermoon poking through the buildings of Chicago on his X-Feed (formerly Twitter). The image of the lemon-colored moon was captured on Friday morning.

🌕 Supermoon over Chicago at sunrise this morning https://t.co/UCtIo9tvWM pic.twitter.com/tK42798BT3October 17, 2024

Photographer Andrew McCarthy captured an incredibly detailed image of the Hunter supermoon. He shared the photo on his The full moon is at perigee, meaning it will be closer to Earth than usual and will appear brighter and larger in the sky. This is a photo I took of it this morning!”

If you look toward the horizon at sunset this evening, you'll see the Hunter's Supermoon rising. The full moon is at perigee, meaning it is closer to Earth than usual and appears brighter and larger in the sky. This is a photo I took of it this morning! pic.twitter.com/uTa30E0MuoOctober 17, 2024

Stonehenge's official X-feed showed an incredible image of the moon falling beneath the monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, on Friday morning. Nick Bull captured the image, which shows the moon looking huge and orange like a pumpkin waiting to be carved.

The Full Hunter's Supermoon is behind Stonehenge this morning 🏹🌕🌙😍October's full moon is also known as the “Hunter's Moon” 📸 Credit Nick Bull 🙏#fullmoon #supermoon #supermoon2024 #moon #Stonehenge pic.twitter.com/uSHQ5OZqcJOctober 17, 2024

A video shot by radio DJ Jimmy Stafford in Donegal, Republic of Ireland, also showed the supermoon taking on Halloween spirit, this time shrouded in an ominous mist. The video was posted to Stafford's X feed.

This is an incredible #Supermoon tonight #Donegal pic.twitter.com/Q1tsPcRwcpOctober 17, 2024

In a shot that would put a classic Hammer horror film to shame, Zhang Zhenqi captured the Hunter's supermoon eerily lighting up Jiangzi Zongshan Castle in Shigatse, Xizang Autonomous Region of China.

There is no way your coachman and horse handler will take you to the castle gates!

A bright orange orb appears over a castle at the top of a hill

The Hunter's Moon rises in the sky over Jiangzi Zongshan Castle on October 17, 2024 in Shigatse, Xizang Autonomous Region of China, photographed by Zhang Zhenqi. (Image credit: Getty Images/Zhang Zhenqi/VCG)

In the same vein, but this time a little closer to Transylvania, home of Castle Dracula and the infamous count of the same name, Pradeep Dambarage captured this spooky image of the supermoon over Linköping, Sweden.

You can almost hear the villagers frantically nailing garlic bulbs over their doors and windows!

A yellow ball behind a dark bell tower

The Hunter's Supermoon is visible in the sky in Linköping, Sweden, on October 17, 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images/Pradeep Dambarage/NurPhoto)

When all these spooky moon pictures are too much, let's pay a visit to the bright lights of Suzhou in China's Jiangsu province in this sharp and colorful image taken by Guan Yunan.

A silver sphere over a city lit in neon pinks, yellows and blues

An image of the October 2024 Hunter supermoon over the bright lights of the city of Suzhou in China's Jiangsu province. (Image credit: Getty Images/Guan Yunan)

This image of the supermoon looming behind a Ferris wheel in Foshan, China's Guangdong province, brings a little more fun to the event. The red-orange, sweet corn-colored moon was photographed by Wang Qingwu.

A deep orange sphere behind a circular steel structure with silver spokes

The Hunter's Moon rises over a Ferris wheel in the sky on October 17, 2024 in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. (Image credit: Getty Images/Wang Qingwu/VCG)

Fun was also on the agenda for Emin Menguarslan, who captured this image of the Hunter's Supermoon over an amusement park at Kultupark in the Konak district of Izmir, Turkey.

A yellow ball in the sky above rides, illuminated with green lights

The October supermoon rises over the Kultupark amusement park in Konak district in Izmir, Türkiye on October 17, 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images/Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu)

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the supermoon appeared over the Maracana Stadium as Flamengo played Fluminense in the Brasileirao 2024 soccer competition. While the other spectators focused on the action, which ended 2-0 against Fluminense, Ruano Carneiro had his eye on the moon as they captured this image.

A tiny orange ball over a curved football stadium

The Hunter's Supermoon attends a football match between Lamengo and Fluminense as part of Brasileirao 2024 at Maracana Stadium on October 17, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Image credit: Getty Images/Ruano Carneiro)

The next full moon, the Beaver Moon, rises at and around sunset on November 15th and sets at sunrise the next morning. Like the Hunter's Moon in October, it will also be a supermoon.

If these images make you want to capture your own lunar images, like a newly transformed vampire thirsting for a pint of O-negative, our guide to the best telescopes for beginners can help you find what you need. And if you prefer something more portable, check out our guide to the best binoculars.

Editor's note: If you want to take a stunning photo of the Full Hunter supermoon and share it with Space.com, send images and comments to our skywatching inbox at [email protected].

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